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THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Elizabeth Preston Ward 
 
 in memory of 
 jean Versfelt Preston 
 
 SCHOOL OF INFORMATION 
 AND LIBRARY SCIENCE 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 ENDOWED BY THE 
 
 DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC 
 
 SOCIETIES 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 00025764673 
 
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MARI 
 
 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
THE 
 
 Little Cousin Series 
 
 (tradb mark) 
 
 Each volume illustrated with six or more' full-page plates in 
 
 tint. Cloth, i2mo, with decorative cover, 
 
 per volume, 60 cents 
 
 LIST OF TITLES 
 
 By Mary Hazelton Wade 
 
 (unless otherwise indicated) 
 
 Our Little African Cousin 
 Our Little Alaskan Cousin 
 
 By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
 
 Our Little Arabian Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 
 Our Little Armenian Cousin 
 Our Little Australian Cousin 
 
 By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
 Our Little Brazilian Cousin 
 
 By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
 
 Our Little Brown Cousin 
 Our Little Canadian Cousin 
 
 By Elizabeth R. MacDonald 
 
 Our Little Chinese Cousin 
 
 By Isaac Taylor Headland 
 
 Our Little Cuban Cousin 
 Our Little Dutch Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 
 Our Little Egyptian Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 
 Our Little English Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 
 Our Little Eskimo Cousin 
 Our Little French Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 
 Our Little German Cousin 
 Our Little Greek Cousin 
 
 By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
 
 L. C. PAGE 
 
 New England Building, 
 
 Our Little Hawaiian Cousin 
 Our Little Hindu Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 Our Little Hungarian Cousin 
 By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
 Our Little Indian Cousin 
 Our Little Irish Cousin 
 Our Little Italian Cousin 
 Our Little Japanese Cousin 
 Our Little Jewish Cousin 
 Our Little Korean Cousin 
 
 By H. Lee M. Pike 
 Our Little Mexican Cousin 
 
 By Edward C. Butler 
 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 Our Little Panama Cousin 
 
 By H. Lee M. Pike 
 Our Little Persian Cousin 
 
 By E. C. Shedd 
 Our Little Philippine Cousin 
 Our Little Porto Rican Cousin 
 Our Little Russian Cousin 
 Our Little Scotch Cousin 
 
 By Blanche McManus 
 Our Little Siamese Cousin 
 Our Little Spanish Cousin 
 
 By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet 
 Our Little Swedish Cousin 
 
 By Claire M. Coburn 
 Our Little Swiss Cousin 
 Our Little Turkish Cousin 
 
 r COMPANY 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/ourlittlenorwegiOOwade 
 

SltS 
 
 % MARI I 
 
 J Our Little Norwegian Cousin ^ 
 
 *■ 
 
 By 
 
 Mary Hazelton Wade 
 
 Boston 
 L. C. Page & Company 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 * 
 
 ^ Illustrated by *T 
 
 ^ L. J. Bridgman ^ 
 
 * 
 * 
 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 
Copyright, IQ03 
 By L. C. Page & Company 
 
 (incorporated) 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Fifth Impression, June, 1908 
 Sixth Impression, March, 1910 
 
Preface 
 
 Long before Columbus discovered America, 
 there were brave men in the north of Europe 
 who dared to sail farther out upon the un- 
 known waters of the Atlantic than any other 
 people in the world. These daring seamen 
 were called Vikings. Their home was the 
 peninsula of Scandinavia, now ruled over by 
 one king, although divided into two distinct 
 countries, Norway and Sweden. 
 
 It was along the shores of Norway, with 
 rugged mountains fringing its deep bays, that 
 the Vikings learned command of their curious, 
 high-prowed ships, and overcame all fear of 
 wind and storm. Their strong nature shows 
 itself to-day in the people of Norway, who 
 patiently endure many hardships while trying 
 
vi Preface 
 
 to get a living on the rough mountain-sides or 
 along the rocky coasts. 
 
 Many of our Norwegian cousins have come 
 to America to make a new home for them- 
 selves where the sun shines more warmly and 
 the winds blow less keenly. Their fair-haired 
 children are growing up amongst us, showing 
 us the qualities their parents most admire. 
 Be brave, be honest, be kind to all creatures, 
 be faithful to every little duty, — these are the 
 lessons they have been taught from babyhood, 
 as well as their brothers and sisters who have 
 not as yet ventured far from the land they 
 love so well, — the land of rapid-flowing rivers, 
 deep, dark bays, and narrow valleys. 
 
 Come with me to-day to the home of one 
 of these blue-eyed cousins and join her for 
 a while in her work and play. 
 

 Contents 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 
 I. 
 
 The Farm . 
 
 II. 
 
 Visitors . 
 
 III. 
 
 The Christening 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Lost Pin . 
 
 
 V. 
 
 The Birthday . 
 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Wedding . 
 
 
 VII. 
 
 Legends 
 
 
 VIII. 
 
 The Lumber Camp . 
 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Lapps . 
 
 
 X. 
 
 Holiday Frolics 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 9 
 
 21 
 
 36 
 46 
 
 59 
 66 
 72 
 92 
 101 
 in 
 
List of Illustrations 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Mari ....... Frontispiece 
 
 " It was a sort of gig with very long 
 
 SHAFTS " 22 
 
 The Christening 41 
 
 Carved Houses at Thelemarken ... 62 
 
 Ski-lobing 74 
 
 " « It is always in the shape of a mound ' " . 103 
 
MARI 
 
 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FARM 
 
 <c Come, Mari, my little daughter, and you 
 shall help me make the cakes," called her 
 mother. 
 
 Mari stood in the middle of the big farm- 
 yard with a flock of hens around her. She 
 was scattering grain among them from a big 
 bag on her arm ; not a sound could be heard 
 except once in a while the scratching of the 
 hens' feet. They were too busy to notice each 
 other or the big dog that sat on the door-step. 
 
 The little girl laughed quietly as she watched 
 them. " They are so happy ; they love this 
 
 9 
 
io Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 pleasant summer-time as much as I do," she 
 said to herself. 
 
 But the moment she heard her mother's 
 voice, she turned quickly toward the house 
 without stopping a moment longer to see 
 whether her pet hen, Biddy Wee, or cross old 
 Yellow Legs got the most dinner. Mari never 
 in her life thought of answering her parents by 
 saying : 
 
 " Why, papa ? " or tf Why, mamma ? " or 
 " I'll come in a moment." 
 
 Mari lives in Norway, and Norwegian par- 
 ents train their children to obey without delay. 
 
 The little girl was only too glad to come 
 now, however. Her mother had promised she 
 should learn to make flat-bread to-day. She 
 was pleased that she was old enough to be 
 trusted with this important work. Why, she 
 could keep house alone when she had mastered 
 this necessary art, and her mother could leave 
 her in charge. 
 
The Farm II 
 
 Mari remembers when she was such a tiny tot 
 that her head barely reached above the table. 
 Even then she loved to watch her mother 
 as she sat at the big moulding-board, rolling 
 out the dough until it was nearly as thin as 
 paper. 
 
 This dough was made of barley-meal which 
 was raised here at the farm. It was rolled out 
 into sheets almost as wide as the table itself, 
 for each cake must be about a half-yard across. 
 Then came the cooking. The cake was lifted 
 from the board to a hot flat stone on the fire- 
 place, where it was quickly baked. How fast 
 the pile grew ! and how skilful mother always 
 was. She never seemed to burn or break a 
 single cake. 
 
 Wherever you go in Mari's country you 
 will find flat-bread. You can eat quantities of 
 it, if you like, yet somehow it will not easily 
 check your hunger, and it gives little strength. 
 
 " Now, dear, be careful not to get a grain of 
 
12 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 dust on the floor," said her mother, as Mari 
 stood at the table ready for directions. 
 
 The child looked very pretty, with her long, 
 light hair hanging down her back in two braids. 
 The snowy kerchief was tied under her chin 
 just as it was when she came in from the farm- 
 yard. She had no need to put on an apron 
 before beginning her work, for she already 
 wore one. She was never without it, in fact, 
 and hardly thought herself dressed in the 
 morning until her apron had been fastened 
 around her plump little waist. 
 
 Her cheeks looked rosy enough to kiss, but 
 such a thing seldom happened, for mothers in 
 Norway believe that is a bad habit. They 
 think that it often leads to the carrying of 
 disease from one person to another. 
 
 " Shake hands with the baby and the chil- 
 dren," they would say, " but please don't kiss 
 them." They are wise in this, — don't you 
 think so ? 
 
The Farm 13 
 
 Before Mari had rolled out six cakes, her 
 cheeks grew rosier yet. It was hard work, 
 although it had seemed easy enough when 
 mother was doing it. 
 
 The first three cakes had to be rolled over 
 and over again because they would stick to the 
 board. Then the lifting was not such a simple 
 thing as Mari had supposed before she came to 
 do it herself. But she kept trying. Her 
 mother was very patient and encouraged her 
 with loving smiles and kind words. At last 
 the little girl made a really good cake and 
 landed it all by herself on the stone, without 
 doubling, or even wrinkling, it. 
 
 " Good, good," said her mother, " you will 
 soon be a real helper, Mari. But now you 
 have worked long enough for the first time. 
 I will finish the baking while you take the 
 baby and give him an airing." 
 
 And where was the baby, bless him ? Mari 
 knew, for she went at once to the other side 
 
14 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 of the room where a pole was fastened into the 
 wall. A big basket was hanging down from 
 the end of this pole, and in the basket was a 
 little blue-eyed baby, cooing softly to himself. 
 
 Mari's mother was a very busy woman. 
 There was always something to do, either 
 inside the house or out-of-doors. She had 
 very little time for holding a baby. So when 
 Mari and her brothers were away at school, 
 and mother was left alone, that dear little rosy- 
 cheeked fellow sometimes began to cry in a 
 very lively manner. The cooking and the 
 cheese-making and the spinning must go on 
 just the same, and time could not be spent 
 in holding a baby. 
 
 But he must be amused in some way. So 
 the strong pole was fastened into the wall, 
 and the cradle attached to the end. Do you 
 wonder what fun there could be in staying up 
 in that basket, hour after hour? The baby 
 enjoyed it because the pole would spring a 
 
The Farm 15 
 
 little at every movement of his body. As 
 long as he kept awake, he could, and did, 
 bob up and down. That was amusement 
 enough. 
 
 He was glad to see Mari now. She was a 
 perfect little mother, and soon had his hood 
 and cloak fastened on. They were hardly 
 needed, for he was already done up in so 
 many garments, it didn't seem possible he 
 could be cold, wherever he went. 
 
 The living-room, where Mari had been 
 working, was large and high. The beams 
 were dark with age, but the floor was white 
 from the many scrubbings Mari's mother had 
 given it. 
 
 On one side of the room was the big fire- 
 place where all the cooking was done. During 
 the long winter evenings the family and serv- 
 ants sat in front of the blazing logs and told 
 stories of the famous sea-captains of the olden 
 times. Or perhaps they talked of the fairies 
 
1 6 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 and giants, in whom Mari firmly believed. 
 Her mother laughed at the idea of these won- 
 derful creatures. Yet, after all, it was not 
 more than a hundred years ago that they 
 seemed real to many grown-up people. 
 
 Wonderful creatures who made themselves 
 seen from time to time dwelt in the mountains, 
 the fields, and the rivers. This is what Mari's 
 great-grandma had believed, and was she not 
 a sensible woman ? It is no wonder, there- 
 fore, that our little cousin loved to think that 
 these beings were still real. When she went 
 to sleep at night, she often dreamed of the 
 gnomes who live far down in the earth, or the 
 giants who once dwelt among the mountains. 
 
 When she was very little she sometimes 
 waked up from such dreams with a shiver. 
 " O, don't let the cruel giant get me," she 
 would cry. Then she would jump out of her 
 own little cot into the big bed of her parents. 
 She felt quite safe as soon as her mother's 
 
The Farm 17 
 
 loving arms held her tightly, and she was 
 sound asleep again in a minute. 
 
 That big bed certainly looked strong enough 
 to be a fortress against the giants or any other 
 of the wonderful creatures of fairy-world. It 
 stood in the corner of the living-room, where 
 Mari's mother worked all day, and where the 
 family ate and sat. It was so high that even 
 grown people did not get into it without climb- 
 ing up the steps at one side. It had a wooden 
 top, which made it seem like a little house. 
 It was not as long as bedsteads in other coun- 
 tries. No grown person could stretch out in 
 it to his full length. He must bend his knees, 
 or curl himself up in some way, for he cer- 
 tainly could not push his feet through the 
 heavy wooden foot-board. 
 
 Mari's people, however, never thought of 
 its being uncomfortable. All Norwegian bed- 
 steads are made in this way, so they became 
 used to it as they grew up. But sometimes 
 
1 8 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 English travellers had stayed at the farmhouse 
 all night when they had been overtaken by a 
 storm. They would be sure to get up in the 
 morning complaining. They would say : 
 
 " O yes, this country of Norway is very 
 beautiful, but why don't you have beds long 
 enough for people to sleep in with comfort." 
 
 The farm where Mari lives lies in a narrow 
 valley half a mile from the sea. The cold 
 winter winds are kept off by the mountain 
 which stands behind the houses. No one but 
 Mari's family and the servants who work on 
 the farm live here. Yet I spoke of houses. 
 This is because the little girl's home is made 
 up of several different houses, instead of one 
 large farmhouse, such as one sees in America. 
 
 Mari's father thinks that two, or perhaps 
 three, rooms are quite enough to build under 
 one roof. He settled here when he was a 
 young man. Mari's mother came here to 
 live when they were married. At that time 
 
The Farm 19 
 
 there was but one house. It contained the 
 living-room and the storeroom. After a while 
 another house was built close by, for the farm 
 hands to sleep in. Still another little building 
 was added after a while for the winter's sup- 
 plies, for there is no store within many miles 
 of the farm. 
 
 Mari's mother never says, " Come, my 
 child, run down the road and buy me five 
 pounds of sugar," or, " Hurry, dear, go and 
 get two pounds of steak for dinner." It 
 would be useless for her to think of doing 
 such a thing. All the provisions the family 
 may need must be obtained in large quantities 
 from the distant city, unless they are raised 
 here on the farm. 
 
 The storehouse was built very carefully. 
 It was raised higher than the other buildings 
 so that rats and other wild creatures should 
 have hard work to reach the supplies. There 
 is not a great deal on hand now, for it is sum- 
 
20 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 mer-time, but in the autumn the bins will be 
 full of vegetables, and large quantities of fish 
 and meats will hang from the rafters. There 
 will be stores of butter and cheese and a large 
 supply of coffee, for Mari's people drink it 
 freely. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 VISITORS 
 
 " Mother, mother, I hear the sound of 
 wheels," cried the little girl, as she came hur- 
 rying into the house, panting for breath. The 
 baby was such a big load it is a wonder she 
 could hurry at all. 
 
 " Could you see what is coming ? " asked 
 her mother. 
 
 "Yes, there are two carriages, I know, for 
 I saw a cariole, and I could hear another gig, 
 although it was still out of sight round the 
 bend of the road. They must be in a hurry, 
 for I could hear the driver of the cariole cluck- 
 ing to his horse to make him go faster." 
 
 "Run right down to the rye-field, Mari, 
 and tell your father to send Snorri up with 
 the horses. Leave the baby with me." 
 
 21 
 
22 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 Mari hurried away, while her mother went 
 out into the yard to greet her visitors who had 
 now drawn near. 
 
 The first carriage was a cariole, as Mari had 
 said. It was a sort of gig with very long 
 shafts. It had a seat in front just wide 
 enough to hold one person, with a small 
 place behind, where the post-boy sat. A lady 
 rode in this cariole and drove the sturdy little 
 horse. 
 
 Behind her came a second carriage, which 
 could not be very comfortable, as there were 
 no springs and the seat was directly over the 
 axle. Two people were in this, also, a gentle- 
 man and the driver. 
 
 "We are in great haste to reach the next 
 station by afternoon," the gentleman tried to 
 explain to the farmer's wife. He spoke brok- 
 enly, for he seemed to know but few Nor- 
 wegian words. 
 
 " He must be an American," Mari's mother 
 
" IT WAS A SORT OF GIG WITH VERY LONG SHAFTS." 
 
Visitors 23 
 
 said to herself. "Those people always seem 
 to be in a hurry." She dropped a deep curtsy 
 to the lady, who seemed to be the gentleman's 
 wife. 
 
 " Won't you come into the house while you 
 wait for the carriage ? " she asked. The 
 lady smiled, and followed her into the living- 
 room. 
 
 " What a lovely big fireplace you have ! " 
 exclaimed the visitor, as she sat down. " And 
 what good times you probably have here in 
 the long winter evenings. Indeed they must 
 seem long when the daylight only lasts two or 
 three hours." 
 
 Mari's mother smiled. "Yes, and the 
 summer days seem long now that there are 
 only two or three hours of darkness in the 
 whole twenty-four," she answered. " At least, 
 they must seem long to you who are a 
 stranger," she went on. She spoke in good 
 English, of which she was very proud. She 
 
24 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 had learned it when she was a girl in school, 
 and was already teaching Mari to use it. 
 
 " Is that your spinning-wheel ? " asked the 
 visitor, as she looked around the room. " Ex- 
 cuse me for asking, but I do wish I could 
 watch you spinning. In America everything 
 we wear is made in the mills and factories, and 
 a spinning-wheel is not a common sight now- 
 adays." 
 
 " I make all the clothing for my family," 
 answered Mari's mother. " It is so strong 
 it lasts nearly a lifetime. Look at my dress ; 
 I have worn it every working-day for many 
 years, and it is still as good as new." 
 
 " Dear me ! what a smart woman you are. 
 If you don't mind, I should like to examine 
 the goods. I suppose that is what people call 
 homespun. And I suppose the wool of which 
 it was made came from your own sheep, did 
 it not?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, and my husband raised every 
 
Visitors 25 
 
 one of the flock himself/' was the answer. " I 
 will gladly spin some of the wool for you now. 
 But see ! the carnages are waiting, and your 
 husband looks impatient." 
 
 "Then I must not keep him waiting, for 
 we have a long journey before us. So good- 
 bye. Perhaps we may stop here again on our 
 way back from the north. Thank you very 
 much for your kindness." 
 
 The lady went out, and Snorri helped her 
 into the cariole and himself jumped up behind, 
 and away they went. The lady's husband fol- 
 lowed in another carriage in the same manner 
 they had driven into the yard. The ones that 
 had brought them here had gone away as soon 
 as the travellers stepped out. Their drivers 
 would take them back to the station where 
 they belonged. 
 
 cc Mother, why is our house a posting- 
 station ? " asked Mari, when the travellers 
 had gone. " I think it is a great bother. 
 
26 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 No matter how busy father and the men 
 are, they must stop their work and harness 
 up the horses to carry strangers along the 
 road. They don't get money for it, either, 
 do [they?" 
 
 "That is the way your father pays his 
 taxes," her mother answered. "You know 
 what good roads we have in our country, Mari. 
 You know, too, that many other things are 
 done by the government to make this country 
 a fine one. Of course every one must share in 
 the cost of these things. As we live on a farm 
 and have horses, your father is allowed to pay 
 his share in work. That is, he agrees to carry 
 the travellers who come this way to the next 
 station. After all, it isn't very much bother," 
 she said, thoughtfully. " But come, dear, set 
 the table ; it is near dinner-time, and your 
 father will soon be here." 
 
 The table did not stand in the middle of 
 the room. It was in the corner nearest the 
 
Visitors 27 
 
 fireplace. A wide bench was built round the 
 two sides of the room nearest it, so that most 
 of those who gathered around the table could 
 sit on these benches. 
 
 Mari's mother soon had a steaming junket 
 ready, besides a dish of smoked salmon, 
 plenty of boiled potatoes, a large, dark-col- 
 oured cheese which looked like soap, and last, 
 but not least, a plate was piled high with 
 flat-bread. 
 
 " May father have the cakes I made ? " 
 asked Mari. 
 
 " Sure enough, little daughter. He will eat 
 them with pleasure, I know." 
 
 In a few minutes the farmer and his help- 
 ers appeared. All gathered around the table 
 together. 
 
 " What a fine junket this is to-day," said 
 Mari's father, as his wife helped him to another 
 plateful. 
 
 The junket was made of milk, barley, and 
 
28 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 potatoes, and was a dish of which he was very 
 fond. 
 
 c( Dear me ! how good the flat-bread is, too. 
 And only to think that our little Mari made it 
 all herself," continued the farmer. " She will 
 soon be a woman at this rate." 
 
 Mari's rosy cheeks grew redder still at her 
 father's praise. 
 
 " I shall be glad to see Gretel back again," 
 said the little girl's mother, after a while. " I 
 miss her very much, though Mari is a good 
 little helper. But Gretel is having a good time 
 with Henrik, I'm sure." 
 
 Gretel and Henrik had gone up on the 
 mountain to the summer-house, where the 
 cows were pastured during the two warmest 
 months of the year. Henrik was now four- 
 teen years old, and his father felt that he could 
 be trusted to care for the cows as well as he 
 could do it himself; while Gretel could make 
 good cheese and butter, although she was only 
 
Visitors 29 
 
 thirteen. This boy and girl were now living 
 together all alone up on the mountain-side, 
 but they were not the least bit lonely. 
 
 Every Saturday afternoon Henrik brought 
 down the butter and cheese his sister had made 
 during the week. He had so many stories to 
 tell of their good times, that Mari would say : 
 
 " Oh, dear ! Henrik, I wish I could go 
 back with you." 
 
 " I wish you could, little sister, but mother 
 must not be left alone, you know." And 
 Henrik would put his arms around her and 
 kiss her lovingly. 
 
 " Where is Ole ? " asked the farmer, as the 
 family finished eating their dinner. "He 
 should not be late to meals and give you 
 trouble, good wife." 
 
 " He went up to the river on a fishing trip. 
 I told him I should not scold if he was late 
 this time," said his mother. " I was glad of 
 the thought of having some fresh salmon." 
 
30 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " Very well, then. But come, my men, we 
 must get back to the field now. The noon 
 hour has passed." And the farmer led the 
 way out of the house. 
 
 But before he rose from the table little 
 Mari said : 
 
 " Thanks for the food, dear father and 
 mother," while she went first to one, then 
 the other, and gave each of them a loving 
 kiss. 
 
 Then the workmen rose and went in turn 
 to the farmer and his wife and shook hands, to 
 show they, too, were thankful. 
 
 It was very pleasant and cheerful in this 
 farmer's house, you can plainly see ; and it 
 was all quite natural for these simple country 
 people to show how kindly they felt for each 
 other. 
 
 " There comes Ole, now," said the farmer's 
 wife. " I can hear his call. Run, Mari, and 
 see if he has met with good fortune." 
 
Visitors 31 
 
 " O, mother, mother, see what I have 
 here," cried Mari, a few moments afterward. 
 " Ole has a fine string of fish, and that will 
 please you, I know. But do look at this 
 young magpie. It was snared in his trap 
 while he was fishing. He says I may have 
 it for my very own. May I keep it, 
 please ? " 
 
 "It seems as though you had enough pets 
 now, Mari. You have your own pony and 
 your dog Kyle. But I hate to refuse you, my 
 dear. Yes, you may have it, but you and Ole 
 must keep it out of mischief. Magpies are 
 sometimes very troublesome birds, for they 
 notice shining objects and carry them off" if 
 they get a chance." 
 
 Mari's mother now turned to the string of 
 trout which she hastened to put away in the 
 storeroom. Ole had cleaned them nicely be- 
 fore he brought them home. He now ate his 
 dinner as quickly as possible, after which he 
 
32 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 and his sister went out into the yard to make 
 a cage for their new pet. 
 
 "In a little while he will get tame so he 
 will follow us around," said Ole, as he cut 
 the wooden bars for the cage. " Then we 
 shall need to shut him up only when we 
 wish." 
 
 " Isn't he a beauty," exclaimed Mari, as 
 she stroked the magpie. " Look, Ole, at the 
 green and purple feathers in his wings and tail. 
 They are very handsome and glossy." 
 
 " Be careful, Mari, or he may bite you. 
 That hooked bill of his is pretty sharp, if 
 he is a young bird. See him look at you 
 with his bright eyes. They say that mag- 
 pies will grow fond of one in a very short 
 time." 
 
 " Did you ever see a magpie's nest, Ole? " 
 
 " Yes, I passed one this morning as I 
 went through the woods. It was way back 
 in a thick bush. I crept up and looked in. 
 
Visitors 33 
 
 The mother bird was away, and I saw five 
 pretty green eggs dotted with little purple 
 spots." 
 
 " What did you do, Ole ? I hope you did 
 not touch them." 
 
 " At first, I thought I would, Mari, because, 
 you know, those pretty eggs will sometime 
 hatch out, and the five magpies will fly away 
 to harm smaller and more helpless birds. Be- 
 sides, they go into the grain-fields and pick 
 the grain. Father isn't very fond of magpies, 
 I can tell you. 
 
 " But after thinking for a moment I said to 
 myself, f No, mother magpie sha'n't be made 
 unhappy to-day by coming home to find her 
 nest empty.' Then I went away, and ended 
 my morning's sport by trapping this young 
 fellow." 
 
 Ole kept on working while he talked. He 
 did his work so cleverly that one could see 
 he was quite a carpenter. He was a tall boy 
 
34 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 for twelve years, and looked healthy and 
 happy. 
 
 You might possibly have laughed at his 
 clothes, for he wore a pair of his father's old 
 trousers, and they were gathered in at the 
 waist to keep them in place. They must have 
 been cut off at the knees so that they should 
 not be too long for the boy. That was the 
 only change made. His mother said : 
 
 " There, those trousers are too much worn 
 for my husband to use any longer. They will 
 do very well for Ole as he runs about on the 
 farm. I will not take time to cut them any 
 smaller. On holidays the boy shall wear his 
 fine clothes, of course." 
 
 It is no wonder the good woman had to be 
 careful of her time, for she not only spun, 
 wove, and made their clothing, but she also 
 spun the yarn and knit their stockings. Ole's 
 stockings are often patched with leather to 
 make them last longer. But his feet are 
 
Visitors 35 
 
 not tender, and he does not mind it in the 
 least. 
 
 " What kind of a nest did the magpie 
 have ? " asked Mari, as Ole finished the cage 
 and they placed the bird inside. 
 
 "It was lined with wool and hair and had a 
 sort of roof over it. The opening was very- 
 narrow; I really don't see how the mother- 
 bird could get in and out." 
 
 " I suppose the roof is to protect the young 
 birds from enemies, don't you, Ole ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mari ; but come, let us go and find 
 some worms for our bird. He must be 
 hungry." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CHRISTENING 
 
 " O mother, I have something to tell you 
 I have just been down to the village, and 1 
 heard there that neighbour Hans's wife has a 
 new baby. It is a boy. Every one says he is 
 a fine little fellow," said Mari, one beautiful 
 afternoon. 
 
 " Dear me ! dear me ! that is fine news, 
 truly," said her mother. " I must make her a 
 dish of my best porridge and take it to her in 
 the morning." 
 
 " Did everybody remember you when I was 
 born, mother ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear, the people of the village seemed 
 to vie with each other in preparing a dish of 
 flodegrod. It did taste so good ! It was hard 
 to tell whose was the best. You must learn 
 
 36 
 
The Christening 37 
 
 how to make this cream porridge now, Mari ; 
 you are quite old enough. You will never be 
 thought a good housekeeper if you cannot 
 make smooth flodegrod." 
 
 " The baby is to be christened next week. 
 Everybody will be there, of course, mother." 
 
 The farm was only half a mile from a little 
 fishing village on the shore of a deep bay. 
 Such a long, narrow bay is called a fiord. 
 There are many fiords in Norway. 
 
 There were only about a dozen cottages in 
 the village, but in their midst was a tiny little 
 church and a small building used as the school- 
 house. But school was not kept there all the 
 year round. Half of the time the master 
 taught in this place, and the rest of the year he 
 spent in "another little village a few miles up 
 the coast. Neither of them was large enough 
 to pay for a teacher the whole year round. 
 The children, however, were glad to work 
 hard while he was among them. They loved 
 
38 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 their teacher and their school, and they learned 
 quickly. 
 
 Every one in the place was busy now, get- 
 ting ready for the christening. At last came 
 the great day, as bright and sunny a one as 
 could be wished. 
 
 All the work on the farm was stopped and 
 every one in the family was dressed in his best. 
 Mari had a fresh white linen kerchief tied 
 under her chin, and also a finely starched 
 apron. Her plump little arms were bare. 
 Her stomacher was worked with bright beads 
 on scarlet cloth. She had embroidered it all 
 herself and she could not help being proud 
 of it. 
 
 But perhaps you do not know what a 
 stomacher is. It is a piece of cloth worn as an 
 ornament on the waist and over the stomach. 
 Mari's mother wore one also, but hers was 
 sparkling with silver trimmings that had be- 
 longed to her great-grandmother. 
 
The Christening 39 
 
 How fine the father looked in his short coat 
 and knee-breeches. He wore a bright red 
 vest, over which hung his long light beard. 
 
 But Mari's mother was the prettiest sight of 
 all. Her muslin apron was trimmed with 
 three rows of lovely open-work. Her scarlet 
 waist was finished with bands of black velvet, 
 with the beautiful stomacher in front of that. 
 She had loose white linen sleeves, and such an 
 odd cap. You never saw one like it, I am 
 sure. It was made of crimped white muslin 
 with a wide rim over the forehead, with a 
 narrow band beneath that hid her hair. The 
 corners fell down behind nearly to the waist. 
 
 Her silver ornaments must also be men- 
 tioned. They were really beautiful, and were 
 hundreds of years old. 
 
 Ole looked fine, too, in a suit much like 
 his father's and a little round cap, fitting tightly 
 to his head. You would scarcely have known 
 the family in their holiday dress. 
 
4-0 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 They stepped off gaily, and soon reached 
 the village. They arrived at the church just 
 as the christening party reached it. 
 
 " Do look at the dear baby, Ole," said 
 Mari. "Isn't he lovely?" 
 
 The nurse was carrying him. He was so 
 swaddled in his fine clothes that you would 
 have almost thought he was an Indian pap- 
 poose. Only his face could be seen. The 
 swaddling bands were of many colours, — red, 
 green, and white, and there was a large white 
 satin bow, of course. Every Norse baby 
 wears such a bow to its christening. 
 
 And now the flock of people followed the 
 minister into the little church. They passed 
 up to the front and gathered around the altar. 
 
 " The baby behaves finely, doesn't he ? " 
 whispered Ole. " I am real proud of him 
 because he is to have the same name as my- 
 self. Did you hear the minister say Ole, 
 Mari ? " 
 
THE CHRISTENING. 
 
The Christening 41 
 
 "Yes, but look now. The baby's father 
 and mother and his godparents are all going 
 up behind the altar. What is that for?" 
 
 " They are laying presents there for the min- 
 ister. Of course they want to thank him for 
 the christening. I declare, Mari, our baby 
 was christened only last year, and you have 
 forgotten what people do at such times." 
 
 " I was so excited then, Ole, I don't believe 
 I noticed it. But come, everybody is going 
 out of the church. Now we shall have the 
 best time, for you know we are invited to the 
 party." 
 
 The building was soon empty, and all the 
 people started gaily for the home of the new 
 baby. The minister went with them, of 
 course. He looked very dignified in his long 
 black gown, with a great white ruff about his 
 neck. He loved his people, and took part in 
 all their merry-makings. Ole and Mari were 
 very fond of him. They ran to his side as 
 
42 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 soon as they got outdoors. Ole took one 
 hand and Mari the other. 
 
 It was only a few steps to the little home 
 of the fisherman. Everything had been made 
 ready for the company. The table was spread 
 with the good things that the Norse people 
 love best. 
 
 In the centre of the table stood the old 
 silver bowl from which every one must drink 
 to the health of the new baby. This bowl was 
 the most precious thing in the simple home. 
 It had not been used before since the parents 
 of the baby came here and held their wedding- 
 feast. 
 
 There is much eating, and frequent hand- 
 shaking. It seemed as though the company 
 could only show how loving they felt toward 
 one another by the hearty shakes which they 
 gave so often. 
 
 When every one had eaten so much that 
 he could hold no more with comfort, the table 
 
The Christening 43 
 
 was quickly cleared, and a young man brought 
 out a fiddle from the corner of the room. 
 
 " Now for some of our Norse songs," cried 
 one of the company. 
 
 " Good, good," cried all, and soon the room 
 was filled with lively music. The new baby 
 behaved very well, and went to sleep in the 
 midst of it. 
 
 But Mari's baby brother, who had come to 
 the party with the rest of the family, was hav- 
 ing too good a time to shut his eyes for a mo- 
 ment. It was not until the dancing began 
 that his little head commenced to nod and his 
 eyes could keep open no longer. 
 
 The older folk and children sat against the 
 wall and talked together while the younger 
 people waltzed around the room. 
 
 " Gustav, we want to see you and Frigga in 
 the Spring Dance," said one of the party after 
 a while. 
 
 " O yes, Gustav, you can both do it so 
 
44 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 well," cried another. " We must see it before 
 we go home." 
 
 Gustav stepped out into the middle of the 
 room and was followed by the young girl whom 
 he was soon to marry. Her cheeks grew rosy 
 as every one looked at her. She was a pretty 
 girl, and her long, fair braids reached way 
 below her waist. 
 
 And now the fiddler started up again with a 
 lively tune. Who could keep still now ? 
 Surely Gustav could not. He took hold of 
 one of Frigga's hands, and away they spun 
 around the room. But it was not a simple 
 waltz such as you have seen. The young girl 
 held her other hand above her head and 
 showed her grace as she kept moving around 
 Gustav ; she kept perfect time and step as she 
 did so. 
 
 Other odd dances followed the Spring 
 Dance. Ole's and Mari's eyes were wide open 
 with delight as they watched their older friends. 
 
The Christening 45 
 
 Whenever one of the dances came to an end, 
 there was a general shaking of hands in which 
 the children joined with a right good will. 
 
 The time to go home came all too soon. 
 But as it was near the middle of summer, it 
 was not dark even now at ten o'clock in the 
 evening. 
 
 " Gud nag, gud nag," cried every one, after 
 they had drunk again to the health of the baby 
 and his proud parents, and the hands of all 
 had been heartily shaken once more. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE LOST PIN 
 
 " Mari, Ole, come here to me at once," 
 called their mother. 
 
 It was the morning after the christening. 
 The two children were sitting with their pet 
 magpie under a tree near the house. 
 
 " What can be the matter, mother speaks 
 so quickly ? " whispered Ole, as he and his 
 sister hurried to obey. 
 
 " Have you seen the silver brooch I wore 
 at my throat yesterday ? " said their mother, 
 as soon as they came into the house. 
 
 The good woman seemed nervous. Her 
 
 words came quickly, which was not a common 
 
 thing, for she was a slow speaker, like other 
 
 Norse people. 
 
 "Why, no, mother, of course not," said 
 4 6 
 
The Lost Pin 47 
 
 Mari. " Didn't you put it away in the box 
 where you always keep it ? " 
 
 " Certainly, my child, but I did not lock 
 the box as usual. I found it open just now. 
 Can it be possible that a thief has been here ? 
 It does not seem probable. Besides, my other 
 ornaments are there safe. A thief would have 
 taken all." 
 
 " I shouldn't wonder if I could guess who 
 took the brooch, mother," said Ole. " It's 
 the magpie. You know you said magpies like 
 all kinds of shining objects." 
 
 "You handsome little mischief, have you 
 done it ? " said the boy, as he looked at his 
 pet. 
 
 The magpie had kept his seat on Ole's 
 shoulder when the children came into the 
 house. He looked from him to the boy's 
 mother with bright eyes, as much as to say, 
 " I could tell all about it, if I wished." 
 
 " It seems as though the bird understands 
 
48 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 what we are talking about, but of course he 
 doesn't. Still, I believe he has done some- 
 thing with your brooch, mother," said Mari. 
 
 "It may be so, indeed, children. The box 
 was possibly left open, although I am gener- 
 ally so careful. If that is so, Ole and Mari, 
 you must find it. Unless you are able to do 
 so, you cannot keep your pet any longer." 
 
 You may be sure the children were anxious 
 to find the brooch now. All that day they 
 searched in every nook and corner of the 
 house and yard. 
 
 "You know, we let him fly around for a 
 long time this morning," said Ole, when night 
 came and still the brooch could not be found. 
 " If it was carried up into some tree, we may 
 never see it again." 
 
 Ole had crawled out upon the limbs of all 
 the trees near the house, and his legs were 
 pretty tired. 
 
 " You can't do any more to-night, children," 
 
The Lost Pin 49 
 
 said the farmer, when supper was over and the 
 family were gathered on the porch to talk, over 
 the trouble. " Go to bed, and do not fret. 
 In the morning, let the magpie out of the 
 cage, and allow him to go where he pleases. 
 Watch him, and perhaps you will find he has 
 some hiding-place where he stores his treas- 
 ares." 
 
 Those were wise words. The next morn- 
 ing the children did as their father had directed, 
 and the magpie was set free. Five minutes 
 afterward he flew out of the house, and away 
 he went toward the barn. 
 
 Now it happened that a pole stretched out 
 from under the low roof of this building. In 
 winter-time a bundle of grain was fastened to 
 this pole from time to time. It was placed 
 there to give food to the hungry birds that 
 came that way. They might starve during 
 freezing weather, if kind people did not think 
 of them. 
 
50 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 A bunch of the old straw was still fastened 
 to the pole. The magpie flew to it, and 
 alighted. 
 
 " The brooch may be stowed away in that 
 straw," said Ole. " I'll get a ladder and see, 
 anyway." 
 
 A moment after, the boy was shouting in 
 delight. 
 
 " I have it, I have it, Mari. How glad 
 mother will be. O, you naughty magpie. 
 We will be careful that you don't get any 
 more brooches of my great-grandmother's." 
 
 Delighted indeed was the mother when they 
 came in with the lost brooch. 
 
 " You may go down to the shore, and spend 
 the afternoon," she said. "You can have a 
 fine time with your playmates in the village." 
 
 A half-hour later Ole and Mari were play- 
 ing barefooted on the edge of the bay, or fiord, 
 as, you remember, Mari calls it. But there 
 was no beach of smooth sand here, for rocks 
 
The Lost Pin 51 
 
 and ledges covered the shore. There was 
 only one little nook where it was easy for 
 boats to land. 
 
 The village was built at the head of this 
 narrow bay, as it reached far into the land. It 
 was a long sail out to the open ocean. Mari 
 had never yet seen it, although she had lived 
 so near the water all her life. 
 
 It was a wonderful sight that the children 
 looked upon this afternoon. Great cliffs rose 
 high up from the water on each side of the 
 bay. They were so straight and tall, they 
 seemed to join it to the sky above. 
 
 A waterfall came rushing down from the top 
 of one of these cliffs. It made a whirlpool 
 in the spot where it fell into the bay. But 
 everywhere else the water was very quiet. It 
 was so still, that as you looked up to the steep 
 mountains on each side, it would have made 
 you almost fearful, it seemed so lonely and 
 apart from the rest of the world. 
 
52 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " I climbed way up that cliff by the water- 
 fall last spring," Ole told his sister, as the 
 children sat down upon a rock to rest. 
 
 " Weren't you afraid ? " she asked, as she 
 looked at him proudly. Then she added, 
 quickly, " Of course you weren't. I never 
 knew you to be afraid of anything in your life. 
 But why did you do it ? " 
 
 " I was after down for mother's cloak. The 
 eider-ducks build their nests in the crannies 
 of the rocks. I found three of them that day, 
 I remember. It seemed almost too bad to 
 rob the nests, but still you know there is 
 nothing so soft and warm as the down. And 
 I shall be proud when mother has enough to 
 line her cloak and finish it." 
 
 " Those ducks have a queer habit of pluck- 
 ing the softest feathers from their own breasts 
 to line their nests. Don't you think so, 
 Ole?" 
 
 " Yes, birds are a great deal nicer than we 
 
The Lost Pin 53 
 
 are apt to think. You know the mother-bird 
 covers the eggs with this down before she flies 
 away for food. She seems to understand that 
 they must be kept warm, and the father-duck 
 doesn't help her by bringing her food or 
 taking her place while she is away. She 
 has all the care on her own shoulders, poor 
 thing. 
 
 " If her nest is robbed of the down, she will 
 pluck more feathers from her breast and line 
 it again. If it happens the third time, she 
 flies to her mate and takes enough from him 
 to fill their place. But after that her patience 
 is worn out, she goes away and seeks another 
 place in which she can build a new nest undis- 
 turbed." 
 
 " She certainly is a wise little creature, for 
 she wouldn't be warm enough if she robbed 
 herself too much," said Mari. " Mother has 
 been to the city of Bergen, and she says cloaks 
 lined with eider-down are sold in the stores 
 
54 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 there, and that they are worth a great deal 
 of money." 
 
 " Of course, Mari. Some men make a 
 business of robbing the nests of eider-ducks. 
 It must be hard work, too. But see, there 
 comes the postman. Let's go to meet him." 
 
 The children looked down the bay, and 
 what do you think they saw ? 
 
 At first it seemed as though a pine-tree 
 standing up on the water were sailing straight 
 toward them. But no ! one could see as it 
 came nearer that the tree was fastened into an 
 odd little boat with a high curved bow. The 
 tree must be taking the place of a sail, for the 
 man inside was not rowing, yet the boat came 
 steadily onward. 
 
 " Is it rough outside ? " asked Ole, as the 
 boat drew near. 
 
 " Yes, the wind was blowing so hard I did 
 not dare to put up the sail. But right in here 
 it is quiet and calm enough to suit any one." 
 
The Lost Pin 55 
 
 When the postman had carried his letters 
 up to the office, in the leading house in the 
 village, he came back to the shore and sat 
 down for a few moments' talk with the 
 children. 
 
 " This is a wonderful country of ours," he 
 said, as he looked at the shadows of the great 
 mountains in the water. "And we who live 
 here belong to a noble and a mighty race. 
 Never forget that, Mari, will you, my 
 child?" 
 
 " O no, Olaf, I love to think of the grand 
 old times when the Vikings sailed out of these 
 bays and travelled all over the world. They 
 were the ones who discovered America, weren't 
 they? Although I have heard it said that 
 the honour is given now to Columbus, the 
 Italian." 
 
 " Hundreds of years before Columbus lived, 
 Mari, our great seamen crossed the ocean. 
 Many of our people went with them and 
 
56 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 settled in Iceland. But they did not forget 
 their native land and the wonderful stories 
 that had been handed down for centuries from 
 father to son. 
 
 " At last a wise man said, c I will gather 
 together these stories of the Norse people. 
 I will write them down, and our children shall 
 have them for ever.' In this way the f Eddas ' 
 came to be written. They are dearer to us 
 now than any other books except the Bible. 
 Is it not so, children ? " 
 
 "Yes, yes, Olaf," cried Mari and Ole 
 together. 
 
 And Mari added, " We are so happy when 
 father reads to us from the ' Eddas.' I hardly 
 know what story I like best." 
 
 " I have sometimes heard strangers in the 
 land speak about our boats," Olaf went on. 
 " They call them old-fashioned and say they 
 remind them of the ships the Vikings sailed in 
 a thousand years ago, they have such high 
 
The Lost Pin 57 
 
 curved prows and are so broad. But what do 
 we care if they do call them old-fashioned ? 
 We like it, children, for the old ways were 
 good ways." 
 
 " I wish I had lived in the time of the 
 Vikings," said Ole. " I should like to have 
 gone with them on their daring voyages. But 
 why were they better sailors than any other 
 people at that time, Olaf ? " 
 
 "In the first place, they were strong and 
 brave. They loved the sea and spent their 
 lives upon it. They trained themselves from 
 boyhood to bear cold and hardships. And, 
 besides all these things, these deep bays 
 were good places for sailors to learn their 
 craft. 
 
 " But I have stayed here longer than I 
 thought ; I must go home. This was the last 
 village where I had to deliver letters or I could 
 not have stopped with you so long. I will try 
 sailing back, but if I find the wind still strong 
 
58 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 when I get outside the fiord, I can easily take 
 the sail down. Good-bye." 
 
 The postman was soon far down the bay. 
 He passed several fishermen in their boats just 
 coming back from their day's catch. Ole and 
 Mari waited till they came in. 
 
 "What luck, what luck?" cried the chil- 
 dren. 
 
 " I have had such a good haul," said Gus- 
 tav, who was the first to touch the shore, " that 
 here is a fine large haddock to take home to 
 your mother, Ole." 
 
 " Many thanks, Gustav, my mother will be 
 much pleased," answered the boy, as he re- 
 ceived the gift. Then the two children 
 trudged homeward, clasping hands and singing 
 one of the songs they had learned at school. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE BIRTHDAY 
 
 " Ten years old, my daughter. Do you 
 believe you have grown any taller since last 
 night ? " said Mari's mother, when she called 
 her that morning. 
 
 " It seems so, anyway," answered the little 
 girl, as she watched her mother making the 
 birthday cake. 
 
 " Bring the citron and currants from the 
 storeroom, Mari. I have sugar enough, I 
 think. This must be a beautiful cake for my 
 daughter. The frosting shall be thick. Here 
 comes Ole now with the flowers." 
 
 Ole's arms were full. " Do you think I 
 have enough to decorate your cake, Mari ? " 
 He laughed as he spoke. 
 
 59 
 
60 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " We can't use half of them, of course. 
 Look at the quantity of fruit mother is using. 
 There ! see how yellow the dough looks since 
 she put in the saffron. Won't it be lovely 
 when it is done ? " 
 
 " Come, Ole, get to work on that tub you 
 are making for me. And, Mari, take your 
 knitting and go out on the porch. I wish to 
 be quiet while I watch the baking of the cake. 
 There will be fun enough for you this after- 
 noon." 
 
 Mari's mother had promised her a coffee 
 party in honour of her birthday. Soon after 
 dinner the children began to arrive. They 
 were dressed in their best and looked very 
 happy, although the white kerchiefs tied 
 around the rosy faces of the girls made them 
 appear like little old women. 
 
 There was plenty of coffee to drink, for the 
 children of the North are as fond of it as the 
 older people. Then there was the magnificent 
 
The Birthday 61 
 
 birthday cake, rich in the fruits and sugar, and 
 trimmed with the flowers Ole had gathered in 
 the morning. Of course, there were piles of 
 flat-bread on the table, besides other things 
 of which the children were fond. 
 
 Many games were played outdoors in the 
 sunshine. Mulberry-bush was the favourite, 
 and it was played over and over again. 
 
 " I shall never forget my tenth birthday," 
 said Mari, that night, after her little friends 
 had gone home. " I have had a lovely time, 
 mother, and you were so good to let me have 
 the party." 
 
 " You can repay me by being more diligent 
 in all your work the coming year, my child. 
 Learn to be more careful in your knitting and 
 spinning. Always be ready, with a cheerful 
 face, to help me in the churning, and I shall 
 think you are growing to be a noble woman." 
 
 Our little cousin certainly had many duties. 
 Her hands were seldom idle during the long 
 
62 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 winter afternoons and evenings, for there were 
 stockings to knit for Ole and herself, scarfs to 
 crochet, wool to be spun and woven, besides 
 many other things which Norse girls need to 
 learn if they are to grow up to be good house- 
 keepers. 
 
 And Ole had much to do, also. In sum- 
 mer there was plenty of work in the garden, 
 besides fishing and shooting the wild ducks. 
 During the winter time he must make many 
 useful things at his carpenter's bench. His 
 father was his teacher in this kind of work. 
 Why, he had made every piece of furniture in 
 the house ; and although it was not beautiful, 
 it was well made and strong. 
 
 " I love to carve," Ole once said to his 
 sister. " I wish it were the fashion to decorate 
 our buildings as the people of Thelemarken 
 do. I have seen pictures of their storehouses. 
 They are just beautiful, Mari. The men 
 carve with their knives all sorts of figures on 
 
CARVED HOUSES AT THELEMARKEN, 
 
The Birthday 63 
 
 the outside. The side posts of the porches 
 are fairly covered with lovely patterns." 
 
 "The people there don't dress as we do, 
 either," answered Mari. " Even the farmers 
 wear the same clothes at work as on the holi- 
 days. I should think it would be hard to 
 keep clean their white jackets all trimmed with' 
 silver buttons. The women there sometimes 
 make their aprons out of silk handkerchiefs. 
 And they wear their silver belts and brooches 
 every day. I should like to go there and see 
 them. Just think, Ole, I've never been 
 away from this place in my life ! " 
 
 " Never mind, little sister. You and I will 
 travel some day and go all over our country. 
 We will even go to the North Cape and see 
 the sun set at midnight and then rise a mo- 
 ment afterward. We can almost do that here 
 on midsummer nights, but not quite. You 
 know people from all over the world travel to 
 the North Cape, Mari." 
 
64 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 "What else do they see there besides the 
 midnight sunset and sunrise ? " 
 
 " Our friend Ernst, over in the village, went 
 there once. He belonged to the crew of a 
 ship that carries people there every summer. 
 He says it is a high mass of rocks, and it is 
 hard to climb. When you reach the top, you 
 can get a good view of the Arctic Ocean, 
 but there is nothing to see but the dreary 
 water; no land nor ship in sight. That is, 
 of course, as you look toward the north. On 
 one side of the cape there is a small glacier, 
 but those can be seen in many other parts of 
 the country. One doesn't need to go to the 
 North Cape to look at a glacier." 
 
 " Our teacher told me, Ole, that a long time 
 ago this whole country was covered with ice. 
 Of course, there were no people then. But 
 after a while the land became warmer and the 
 ice went away. Here and there, the ice-rivers, 
 or glaciers, were left among the mountains, 
 
The Birthday 65 
 
 and they have stayed there ever since. I 
 don't see why." 
 
 " Of course, it's terribly cold above us, 
 Mari, up among the mountains. The snow 
 falls and changes into ice. It slides slowly 
 down into the valleys and begins to melt, but 
 there is always plenty of ice above. People 
 like to come to our country to see the glaciers 
 as well as the other wonderful sights. I de- 
 clare, I'm getting sleepy and I am going to 
 bed. Good night, little sister." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE WEDDING 
 
 " There they are. They are just rounding 
 the point," exclaimed Mari. 
 
 She was standing on the shore and looking 
 anxiously down the bay. She was not alone, 
 by any means, for every one of the village was 
 there with her. Why were they all dressed 
 so finely ? Why were they all looking in one 
 direction ? And why was the church door 
 standing open ? It was not Sunday, and it was 
 the time when every one was usually at work. 
 
 Gustav and Frigga, who lived farther up the 
 coast, you remember, were to be married. 
 There was no church in Frigga's village, so 
 the wedding party must come here. 
 
 For what would a wedding be if it were not 
 
 66 
 
The Wedding 67 
 
 held in a church ? Half of the beauty would 
 be missing. 
 
 Ah ! here come the boats. The first one, 
 of course, contains the fair bride and her lover. 
 They sit on a raised seat, with the bridesmaid 
 and best man near them. 
 
 The bride looks quite charming with the 
 high silver crown on her fair head. It seems 
 as though a queen and her royal party were 
 drawing near. The boat is trimmed with 
 flowers, and the rowers pull with a will. 
 
 Two other boats follow close behind, con- 
 taining the dearest friends of the bride and 
 groom. As they draw near, the people on 
 the shore hasten to greet them with a rousing 
 welcome. 
 
 And now the procession is formed and 
 starts out toward the church. First comes 
 the fiddler with his violin under his arm« 
 He is followed by a man bearing a large silver 
 tankard. The health of the newly married 
 
68 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 pair will be drunk from this many times be- 
 fore the festival is over. Next comes the best 
 man, with Gustav and Frigga close behind ; 
 after whom follow the fathers, mothers, sisters, 
 and brothers of the couple. Last, come the 
 other relatives and friends. All are laughing 
 and joking, and are bright with the pretty- 
 colours of their holiday clothes. 
 
 Now they enter the little church and pass 
 down the aisles strewn with juniper-tips. The 
 air is very sweet with the odour of the freshly 
 cut sprigs. The minister is at the altar to 
 meet them. He is dressed as usual in his 
 long black gown with the great white ruff 
 around his neck. 
 
 But the bride ! How lovely she looks as 
 she stands with bent head, with the silver 
 crown resting on her fair hair. A heavy silver 
 chain is around her neck, and she sparkles 
 with rings, and brooches, and other ornaments 
 without number. Her stomacher is covered 
 
The Wedding 69 
 
 with silver embroidery. Her apron is of the 
 finest muslin, and is also embroidered beauti- 
 fully. 
 
 The little church was so full that Ole and 
 Mari were crowded near the door with the 
 other children. But they could see everything 
 that was going on. 
 
 " Isn't she beautiful ? " whispered Mari, to 
 a little girl behind her. " I don't believe our 
 queen in her own palace can look grander than 
 she." 
 
 When the service was over, the wedding 
 party left the church and turned toward the 
 shore. Was the good time over now, do you 
 think? By no means, for a whole week's 
 merriment had only begun. 
 
 The bridal party seated themselves in the 
 boat in which they had arrived. The other 
 boats were quickly filled ; the fiddler began to 
 play a lively air ; the rowers pulled with long, 
 steady strokes, and as they moved out over 
 
70 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 the clear, sunlit waters, one of the party began 
 to sing. Others joined in the song until the 
 air seemed filled with music. 
 
 Ole and Mari stood on the shore together 
 with the others who had not gone with the 
 young couple to their new home. 
 
 " Gustav has made a lovely new house for 
 Frigga," Ole told his sister. " I sailed over 
 there last week with Olaf, and it was just done. 
 The last piece of furniture was also finished. 
 I wish we were going there to-day ; what fun 
 everybody will have, feasting and dancing." 
 
 " Never mind, Ole, we shall be grown up 
 before many years. And then we shall be 
 invited to the wedding-parties," said Mari. 
 " Let's go in swimming and have some fun by 
 ourselves this afternoon." 
 
 Several other children followed the example 
 of Ole and Mari. Soon there was such a 
 splashing and diving that the echoes of the 
 noise came sounding back from the mountain- 
 
The Wedding 71 
 
 sides. Norse children are great swimmers. 
 When Mari was no more than five years old 
 she had learned to feel as much at home in 
 the water as the mermaids of whom her mother 
 told in stories. She could stay below as long 
 as Ole ; she could dive, and tread water, and 
 swim backwards. There was nothing to fear, 
 for sharks were never seen near that shore, and 
 the water was so clear one could see to the 
 very bottom, no matter how deep it might 
 be. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LEGENDS 
 
 "I am afraid I shall have to go to lumber- 
 ing this winter," said Mari's father, as the 
 family sat around the great open fireplace. 
 
 Henrik had been home from the mountain 
 pasture for two weeks. It was growing cold, 
 and Jack Frost had paid several visits to the 
 farm already. 
 
 " What a shame it is that the crops turned 
 out so badly," answered his wife. " In one 
 more week of good weather, you could have 
 saved everything." 
 
 " Yes, that is true, wife, but we cannot help 
 it. We lost nearly everything on account of 
 the frost. If you are to live in comfort, I 
 must earn money now in some other way. 
 Two of the farm-hands can go with me to the 
 
 72 
 
Legends 73 
 
 camp in the woods, so I shall not be very 
 lonely." 
 
 The farmer looked around the cheerful 
 room, and sighed. Mari went to his side, and 
 put her arms around his neck. 
 
 " Dear father, we shall miss you so much," 
 she said. " You will come home at Christmas, 
 anyway, won't you ? " 
 
 " O yes, the camp is not so far away but I 
 shall try to be back for one night out of every 
 two weeks. Henrik and Ole will take good 
 care of you girls and your mother, I know. 
 They will be able to visit me, too. They are 
 both good runners on the skis (skees). Al- 
 though the camp is miles away, it will not 
 seem much to them, eh, Ole ? " 
 
 "It will be grand sport," answered the 
 boy, quickly. " We will run a race to see 
 which one of us can get there first. Of course 
 Henrik will win. But who cares ? I don't." 
 
 The two boys had been busy all day mak- 
 
74 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 ing new skis for themselves. Great sport the 
 children would have all this winter sliding 
 down the hillsides. 
 
 Coasting on sleds ! yes, there was plenty of 
 that, too, on the snowy slopes around Mari's 
 home. But ski-lobing was better fun, by far. 
 Mari had learned to slide on skis long ago. 
 They were made from two strips of wood, six 
 feet long, with pointed ends curved upward. 
 When they were strapped on her stout shoes 
 the little girl could slide over the snow at a 
 wonderful rate, without sinking or falling. 
 
 No, there was no sport like ski-lobing. 
 Mari had the sled Henrik made for her two 
 years ago, and her two brothers sometimes 
 dragged her on it down to the village. Some- 
 times all the children went coasting with their 
 sleds. " But it isn't as good as ski-lobing," 
 they would always say when they came home. 
 
 And it was no wonder ; you would agree 
 with them, if you could once see them travel. 
 
SKI-LOBING. 
 
Legends 75 
 
 It was almost like flying. They would stand 
 together at the top of a slope. 
 
 " Ready ! " Henrik would cry. 
 
 Then away ! they would all start downwards. 
 It seemed but a second before all were stand- 
 ing at the foot of the hill, out of breath and 
 rosy as the reddest winter apples. 
 
 " Now for the top," cried the leader, after a 
 moment's rest ; and up they would go again. 
 
 It is easy to understand now why Ole and 
 Henrik were not afraid of a long trip on skis 
 over the snow-covered fields and hills. They 
 were so skilful they would get to the camp in 
 two hours at most. 
 
 After an afternoon's sport on the hillside, 
 the children once more gathered in the big 
 living-room. 
 
 " Tell us some of the good old stories we 
 love so much," said Mari. " There is no one 
 who tells them so well, dear father." 
 
 It was the last evening he would be at 
 
76 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 home. The next morning he must start out 
 for the cold, dreary camp in the woods. 
 Every one was feeling sad, but all tried to 
 hide it and seem gay and cheerful. 
 
 " What shall it be, a fairy-story, or a tale of 
 the gods and goddesses in whom the Vikings 
 believed ? " he asked when the children had 
 gathered around him, in front of the blazing 
 logs in the fireplace. 
 
 " First let us hear that wonderful legend of 
 the beginning of the world," answered Mari. 
 " It is told in the Eddas, you know." 
 
 "Very well, then. Shut your eyes and try 
 to think of a time when there was no earth, 
 nor sun, nor stars, and the Great Father was 
 All." 
 
 Mari opened her eyes after a moment and 
 said, softly, " How lonely it must have been, 
 papa." 
 
 " A time came, however," her father went 
 on, " when all was changed. For out of the 
 
Legends 77 
 
 thoughts of the All-Father, the Land of Win- 
 ter was formed in the far north. It was 
 wrapped in ice and cold and mist. Then, far 
 away to the south, arose the Land of Heat and 
 Fire, whose flames never died nor burned low. 
 
 " Now, between the land of darkness and 
 cold, and the land of light and heat, there was 
 a great abyss, into which the icy rivers from 
 the north were ever flowing. Mist rose from 
 these waters and rushed to meet the sparks 
 from the fires which were ever burning in the 
 south lands. And as they met, a wondrous 
 giant came into life, the child of Heat and 
 Cold." 
 
 " Who was there to care for him when he 
 was little ? " asked Mari. 
 
 " He needed no one, because he was not 
 like ourselves, my dear; still, he must have 
 food. And so a wonderful cow appeared, to 
 give him milk. As she licked the ice from 
 the stones, a new being gradually took shape 
 
78 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 and arose. He was like ourselves, Mari, only- 
 larger, nobler, mightier. He was the father 
 of all the gods, of whom you have read so 
 many stories. I believe you are fondest of 
 the god Odin, are you not, Ole ? " 
 
 " Yes, father, and it is because so many 
 brave and noble things are told of him. But 
 please go on with the story. You haven't 
 yet told us how this world was made." 
 
 " The gods made it out of the body of the 
 giant, whom they were obliged to kill." 
 
 " They killed him because he grew wicked 
 and evil, didn't he, papa ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mari, and that was a good reason, 
 without doubt. The gods now used all their 
 thought and power in making the world beau- 
 tiful. The mountains that reach up so 
 grandly toward the sky were their work, as 
 well as the beautiful valleys, the rivers winding 
 through the green meadows, the rushing cata- 
 racts, and the blue lakes. It is, indeed, a 
 
Legends 79 
 
 wonderful earth. Round it all the gods 
 wrapped the great oceans which send their 
 arms far up into our shores." 
 
 " But how were the stars made ? " asked 
 Mari. 
 
 " The gods first made the blue heaven 
 which stretches above us, and dwarfs were 
 put at each corner to keep it in place. Sparks 
 arising from the realm of fire were caught and 
 changed into stars, and they were set on high 
 to give light. 
 
 " A giantess whose name was Night had a 
 son called Day. The gods were kind to 
 them and gave them beautiful chariots and 
 swift horses with which to ride through the 
 heavens. Look out of the window, children, 
 and see how bright it is. That is because the 
 mane of Night's horse is shedding light upon 
 the earth as he travels onward. 
 
 " When the sun and the moon, day and 
 night, were established, the gods set to work 
 
80 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 to build a home for themselves. They looked 
 about for the most beautiful spot, and decided 
 upon a high plain on the summit of a lofty 
 mountain. The glorious city was built, and 
 the gods settled in their new home. It was 
 the Golden Age of the world, for there was 
 no sickness, nor death, nor sorrow, nor 
 pain. 
 
 " In the very centre of the wondrous city 
 the gods fashioned a golden hall for them- 
 selves, and in it there was a shining throne 
 for each one. They had many games and 
 sports, in which they vied with each other in 
 strength and skill. They had a smithy, where 
 they shaped iron and gold and silver into 
 powerful tools and weapons. It was here 
 that the rainbow was made, which you see at 
 times arching over the heavens. 
 
 " But the gods were not satisfied. They 
 looked over the earth and saw no living crea- 
 tures. They said among themselves : 
 
Legends 8 1 
 
 " f We will make the dwarfs, who shall live in 
 the earth and work the mines.' 
 
 " But this was not all, for Odin, your 
 favourite among the gods, said to his brothers: 
 
 " ' Look yonder at those two trees, the ash 
 and the elm, standing side by side. We will 
 make man and woman from them. They 
 shall people the earth and we will care for 
 them as our children.' 
 
 " So it came to pass that our race began to 
 live among the hills and valleys, and has been 
 here ever since. But the gods have never 
 deserted us, but are ever ready to help and 
 protect us. At least, all this is what the legend 
 teaches." 
 
 " Of course, there are no real gods, are 
 there ? " said Mari. 
 
 " The only gods are our beautiful souls, my 
 daughter. They can never die nor do evil, 
 any more than these gods in whom our old 
 Vikings really believed. The giants are our 
 
82 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 earthly natures that are constantly trying to 
 make us forget our godlike souls. But we 
 shall conquer them at last, just as the gods 
 always succeeded in mastering the giants, no 
 matter how strong or clever they were." 
 
 " Didn't it take a long time to do it, papa ? 
 The Golden Age didn't last after quarrelling 
 began, did it ? " 
 
 " No. The gods had their troubles and 
 sorrows as well as men. But, as I said 
 before, the gods always ended by being suc- 
 cessful." 
 
 " Are you too tired to tell another story, 
 father ? This time I wish we could hear some- 
 thing about the fairies. Won't you tell us 
 about Ashiepattle ? " 
 
 Now Ashiepattle is one of the favourites of 
 all Norse children, and many tales are told 
 of his wonderful deeds. 
 
 " Which story shall it be ? " asked the 
 farmer. 
 
Legends 83 
 
 " The one about his eating with the troll," 
 cried Mari and Ole, together. 
 
 Their father laughed. "You are never 
 tired of that, although you are almost a man, 
 Ole. Listen, then, and you shall hear how 
 this brave boy ate with the giant. 
 
 " Once upon a time there was a man who 
 had three sons. The older boys were idle and 
 lazy and would do no work. Their father was 
 too old and feeble to compel them. He had 
 a fine wood-lot, and he wished them to go 
 out and cut down the trees. Then he would 
 be able to sell lumber and pay his bills ; but 
 for a long time the sons gave no heed to his 
 request. 
 
 " At length, however, they began to listen 
 and think the plan was a good one. The 
 oldest son shouldered his axe and started for 
 the forest. But he had no sooner begun his 
 work upon a big tree, than a troll suddenly 
 appeared at his side. 
 
84 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " c That is my tree,' said the troll. ' If you 
 cut it down, I will kill you at once.' 
 
 " The boy was terribly frightened. And it 
 is scarcely to be wondered at, for the troll was 
 an immense, fierce-looking creature. Dropping 
 his axe, he started for home on the run, and 
 did not stop to look around till he got there. 
 
 " c You coward,' cried his father when he 
 heard his story. c When I was a boy no troll 
 was ever able to scare me away from my work.' 
 
 " * I will go,' said the second son. f I shall 
 not be afraid, you may believe.' 
 
 " He started out with a brave heart, and was 
 soon at work in the forest. But his axe had 
 hardly struck the first tree when the troll 
 appeared before him. 
 
 " * Spare the tree, if you wish me to spare 
 your life,' cried the giant. 
 
 " The boy did exactly as his brother had 
 done before him. All his bravery disappeared 
 the moment he looked upon the giant. With- 
 
Legends 85 
 
 out stopping a moment he fled for home, and 
 rushed into the house breathless. 
 
 " ' What a foolish, cowardly fellow,' cried his 
 father. f You are not much like me when I 
 was young. No troll ever drove me away 
 from my work.' 
 
 " * Let me try, father,' said little Ashiepattle. 
 f I am not afraid.' 
 
 " His two brothers looked at him in aston- 
 ishment. ( Tou try, when we have both failed ! 
 You, who never go out of the house, what an 
 idea ! ' And they laughed in scorn. 
 
 " Nevertheless, Ashiepattle went to the 
 forest. But first, he asked his mother for a 
 good supply of food. She at once put on the 
 pot and made him a cheese, for she had nothing 
 ready. With this in his bag, he started out 
 merrily and was soon at work. The axe was 
 sent straight into the heart of the tree, and the 
 chips flew right and left. But just then a deep, 
 gruff voice was heard close by. 
 
S6 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " f Stop at once/ cried the troll, 'or you 
 shall die.' 
 
 " Now, do you suppose Ashiepattle followed 
 his brothers' example, and that he fled from 
 the troll ? He never thought of such a thing. 
 He did run, to be sure, but only for a short 
 distance, to the spot where he had left his 
 cheese. Coming back to the place where 
 the troll stood, he squeezed his cheese with 
 all his might. 
 
 " c Keep still, or I will squeeze you just as I 
 am squeezing this cheese,' he shouted. 
 
 " It would have made you laugh to see that 
 little fellow talking to the big giant in this 
 way ; but the troll was a coward, as all big 
 blusterers are, and somehow Ashiepattle felt it. 
 His quick mind told him that he was a human 
 being, and wiser than all the trolls. What 
 do you suppose the troll did, children ? He 
 cried, c Spare me ! ' with a voice trembling 
 with fear. ' If you will only spare me, I 
 
Legends 87 
 
 will help you cut down the trees/ he added, 
 in haste. 
 
 " That afternoon great work was done in the 
 forest. Many great trees were laid low ; for 
 the troll had wonderful strength in his big 
 arms, and he showed himself a fine helper. 
 
 " When night came the troll proposed that 
 Ashiepattle should go home with him to 
 supper. 
 
 <f< It is nearer than your house,' he said. 
 
 " So Ashiepattle went with the troll to his 
 home in the forest. 
 
 " Before the supper could be made ready, 
 a fire must be made in the fireplace. The 
 troll said he would do this if Ashiepattle would 
 draw some water from the well. 
 
 " When the boy looked at the iron buckets 
 he should have to fill, he knew that he could 
 not even lift them ; but he was too wise to say 
 this. 
 
 " * I won't bother with those buckets,' he 
 
88 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 told the troll ; c I will bring the well itself. 
 Then you will be sure to have water enough.' 
 
 " ' O, don't do that,' cried the troll, in 
 fear, f for I will have no well left. Let me 
 get the water, while you make the fire.' 
 
 " This suited Ashiepattle, of course, for it 
 was exactly what he wished. The water was 
 brought, and a great kettleful of porridge was 
 soon ready to eat, so the troll and the boy sat 
 down together at the table. 
 
 " c I can eat more than you, although you 
 are so much larger,' said Ashiepattle to his 
 host. 
 
 " f Let us see you try,' said the troll, who 
 felt sure he could beat the boy. 
 
 " What do you think Ashiepattle did ? 
 When the troll was not looking, he seized the 
 bag in which he had kept the cheese, and, fas- 
 tening it in front of him, he slipped most of 
 the porridge he received into that, instead 
 of his mouth. At last it was quite full. 
 
Legends 89 
 
 Ashiepattle then took his knife and cut a 
 hole in it, while the troll watched him in 
 wonder. After awhile the giant exclaimed : 
 
 " f I really can't eat any more. I shall have 
 to admit you have beaten me.' 
 
 " c Didn't you see what I did ? ' cried his 
 visitor. f If you cut a hole in your stomach as 
 you saw me do, you can eat as long as you 
 wish.' 
 
 "'But didn't it hurt terribly?' asked the 
 troll. 
 
 " ' No, indeed. Try it and see for yourself,' 
 replied Ashiepattle, laughing inside all the 
 while. 
 
 " The troll did as he was told, and you may 
 guess what happened. He fell on the floor in 
 agony and died in a few moments. 
 
 " And what did our brave little Ashiepattle 
 do ? He searched for the stores of gold and 
 silver belonging to the troll, and soon suc- 
 ceeded in finding them. He started for home 
 
90 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 in great glee, for now he could pay his father's 
 debt and free the old man from trouble." 
 
 " Listen," cried Henrik, as his father fin- 
 ished the story. " There is a noise outside as 
 though something were the matter. Do you 
 suppose foxes have dared to come near and 
 are disturbing the hens ? " 
 
 tc We will soon find out," cried the farmer, 
 jumping to his feet. " Hand me my gun 
 from the wall, good wife, and Henrik, take 
 yours and follow me." 
 
 They crept out of the house with as little 
 noise as possible, while Ole and Mari flattened 
 their noses against the window-panes. But it 
 was pitch-dark outside, and they could see 
 nothing. 
 
 Bang, bang ! went a gun. 
 
 " They found him, they found him," 
 shouted Ole, jumping up and down. " I do 
 hope he was hit." 
 
 A few minutes after, steps were heard com- 
 
Legends 91 
 
 ing back to the house. Ole rushed to the 
 door and opened it. There stood his father 
 holding a large red fox by the nape of the 
 neck. The eyes of the animal were glassy, 
 for he was quite dead. 
 
 "He was creeping away over the snow 
 when we saw him," said the farmer, " and he 
 had one of my finest hens in his mouth. I 
 don't believe this was his first visit, either, for 
 you know, wife, we have lost several fowls 
 lately. Henrik, you and Ole may skin this 
 sly fellow and make a mat for your mother. 
 But it is getting late, and I must start early in 
 the morning, so to bed, one and all." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE LUMBER CAMP 
 
 The whole family were awake bright and 
 early the next morning. Mari and Greta 
 helped their mother in packing the birch-bark 
 knapsack with the provisions their father 
 needed to carry with him to the forest. 
 There must be a good supply of dried meat 
 and fish, sugar, butter, and flour. Last, but 
 not least, the coffee was packed safely inside. 
 What would the good man and his helpers do 
 without this refreshing drink ? When they 
 returned to the hut after a day's chilling 
 work, a bowl of hot coffee would fill them 
 with new life. 
 
 " Ole and I will come next week and bring 
 
 you fresh supplies," said Henrik, as his father 
 
 92 
 
The Lumber Camp 93 
 
 bade them good-bye and the three men started 
 out on their snow-shoes over the crisp snow. 
 
 They were soon out of sight and the rest 
 of the family returned to their work. But 
 little Mari, who loved her father very tenderly, 
 kept thinking of the hard, cold work before 
 him. What kind of a home would he find 
 when he got into the forest ? There would be 
 no shelter of any kind. 
 
 He and his men must go to work at once 
 and saw some logs, with which they would 
 build a rough hut. They would stuff the 
 chinks with moss to keep out the great cold, 
 or else they would freeze to death. 
 
 What furniture would they have ? A large, 
 flat stone would serve as a fireplace, while the 
 bed would be made of poles placed side by 
 side and covered with moss. That was all. 
 They must sleep as close to the fire as possi- 
 ble, and even then they would suffer greatly 
 during the long, freezing nights. 
 
94 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " I am so sorry the crops failed," said Mari 
 to her mother when she had thought of all 
 these things. ct I almost wish father had gone 
 to work fishing this winter. I don't believe 
 that would have been as hard work." 
 
 " The sea has its own dangers, my daugh- 
 ter," answered her mother. " Think of the 
 fearful storms that rage along our coast and 
 the sad deaths that have come to some of our 
 friends. No, Mari, lumbering is hard work, 
 but it is safer, I think, than fishing in the 
 winter season." 
 
 Ole had come into the room while they 
 were talking. 
 
 " It's cold and uncomfortable for father this 
 winter, I know," he said, " but the greatest 
 danger is in the spring-time, when he has 
 to float the logs down the narrow streams to 
 the sawmills." 
 
 " Why is that so dangerous ? " asked Mari. 
 
 " Because his work isn't over when he has 
 
The Lumber Camp 95 
 
 once launched the logs into the water. He 
 must watch them in their course and see that 
 they get to their journey's end. Suppose one 
 log gets across the stream and blocks the way ? 
 Then father must wade out into the water and 
 pull that log aside with his boat-hook. He 
 has to spend a good deal of his time in the 
 water, and is likely to freeze his feet, or get 
 a terrible cold, at any rate. Perhaps he has to 
 jump on the logs as he pulls them apart. 
 Suppose he slips and, falling through, is 
 jammed to death between the logs ! 
 
 " There, there, Mari, dear, don't cry. I 
 shouldn't have said all this. Father will prob- 
 ably get along all right and come home safe in 
 the spring." 
 
 Henrik put his strong arms around his 
 little sister, and she had soon forgotten her 
 fears and was laughing heartily over the fairy- 
 story he was telling her. 
 
 The next week after their father left home, 
 
g6 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 Henrik and Ole started out on a visit to the 
 camp, carrying with them a stock of provisions 
 large enough to supply the men for several 
 days longer. 
 
 " Take your gun, Henrik," said his mother, 
 " for you can't tell what wild creatures you may 
 meet on the way. It would be a fine surprise 
 for your father if you should present him with 
 a hare or a deer. Some fresh meat would 
 make a rare treat for the men." 
 
 The boys skimmed over mile after mile of 
 snowy ground, and nothing unusual happened. 
 No houses were in sight all this time, and 
 there were no tracks of living creatures. It 
 was lonely, and dreary, and quiet. 
 
 They were nearing their journey's end, and 
 were climbing the side of a hill, when Henrik 
 suddenly stopped. 
 
 " See, Ole," he whispered, " there are the 
 tracks of some four-footed beast ahead of us. 
 They are too heavy and big for hares'. It may 
 
The Lumber Camp 97 
 
 be we are near some bear's den. Look out, 
 for you know the old ones are sometimes very 
 fierce. Let us follow the tracks for a while 
 and see what we come to, anyway." 
 
 " Shouldn't we be proud if we could find 
 him and kill him ? " answered Ole. " Roasted 
 bear's meat makes a pretty good dinner." 
 
 The boys travelled very carefully now, for 
 they had come into the thick woods. The 
 tracks suddenly came to an end at a pile of 
 logs lying at one side. 
 
 " Perhaps the bear has a snug home under 
 those logs," said Henrik, in a low tone, as he 
 seized his gun. 
 
 At that very moment the boys heard a sound, 
 and at once a huge brown bear appeared. He 
 moved sleepily, as though he had just been 
 wakened, but as soon as he got sight of the 
 boys he roused, and his face became fierce. 
 
 No time was to be lost, but Henrik was 
 as cool as any old hunter. His hand did not 
 
98 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 tremble as he took careful aim. Whizz ! flew 
 the bullet just as the bear prepared to come 
 at them. It would have gone straight into his 
 heart if he had not suddenly raised his paw, 
 but it entered that instead. 
 
 " Run for your life, Ole," shouted his 
 brother, as the huge and angry brute dashed 
 toward them. 
 
 Even as he spoke, the bear knocked Ole 
 down, and would have made short work of 
 him if it had not been for Henrik's coolness. 
 A second shot from his gun broke the animal's 
 neck. He rose on his hind legs, and plunged 
 blindly forward only to fall dead at Henrik's 
 feet. 
 
 " It's a good thing we are trained to be 
 soldiers at school," the brave boy said after- 
 ward, when he told the story to his father. 
 " I really believe I should have lost my head, 
 if it hadn't been for that training. But I said 
 to myself: c You never fail at home in hitting 
 
The Lumber Camp 99 
 
 the mark, why should you now ? ' It gave 
 me courage, father." 
 
 His father smiled and answered, " You have 
 done well, Henrik. I am proud of you." 
 
 This was said as the boys sat around the 
 fire in the log hut that night. As soon as they 
 were sure the bear was really dead, they had 
 hurried on to the camp, which was only a short 
 distance away. Then, as soon as they had 
 told of their luck, the men went back with 
 them to skin the bear and cut up and bring in 
 the meat. They brought it to the camp on 
 a rough sledge. 
 
 " He is a beauty," exclaimed one of the 
 men, as he looked at the bear. 
 
 " And as big a one as I ever set eyes on," 
 said the other. " I don't see how you ever 
 dared to tackle him, Henrik. I should have 
 hesitated for a moment, myself." 
 
 It was so late in the day when they all got 
 back to the camp that father said : 
 
ioo Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " Boys, you had better stay all night, unless 
 you think your mother will worry about you." 
 
 " We told her we might not come home 
 to-day," said Ole. "It is such a long tramp, 
 she said we had better not try, for we would 
 get too tired. So it is all right." 
 
 How good the bear steak looked when it was 
 set on the rough supper-table. It was smoked 
 a good deal, — that was certain ; but no one 
 spoke or even thought of that. And the table 
 was not elegant, for there was no cloth to 
 cover the rough pine boards. But the fresh 
 cheese, the kind mother had sent, the hard 
 brown bread baked by the men, with plenty 
 of bear steak and a bowl of steaming coffee, 
 made a supper " fit for a king," as the boys 
 declared when they could eat no more. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE LAPPS 
 
 " Perhaps this seems a cold place to you, 
 when you think of the warm farmhouse you 
 left yesterday," said one of the workmen to 
 Henrik. " You ought to go to the far north, 
 and visit the Lapps. Ah ! you will find plenty 
 of cold weather there. But those queer people 
 don't seem to notice it very much. I suppose 
 that is because they have got used to it, since 
 they never lived anywhere else." 
 
 " Do tell us about them," begged Ole. " I 
 didn't know you had ever been to Lapland, 
 Adolf." 
 
 " Yes, when I was a young man I was a 
 great hunter, Ole. I have travelled all over 
 this country and have seen many strange 
 sights." 
 
 IOI 
 
102 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " I should like to be a hunter, too," said 
 Henrik. " It must be great sport getting the 
 wild reindeer. But go on, Adolf, and tell us 
 about the homes of the Lapps, and their herds 
 of tame reindeer, as well as the queer ways of 
 the people." 
 
 " They are a strange people, that is a fact," 
 said Adolf. " They are queer-looking and 
 queer in their ways. They are very small, 
 few of them over five feet tall, and they are 
 quite stout. Their skin is of a dark yellow ; 
 the hair is jet-black, coarse and straight ; their 
 cheek-bones, high ; and their eyes are blue 
 and small. Their little noses turn up in a 
 comical way, and their mouths are often open 
 as though they were surprised at something." 
 
 " I suppose they dress in fur, don't they ? " 
 asked Ole. 
 
 " O yes, from head to foot. But they get 
 all they need from the skins of their reindeer. 
 They wear high boots bound tightly around 
 
'"IT IS ALWAYS IN THE SHAPE OF A MOUND.'" 
 
The Lapps 103 
 
 their legs in winter- time, so they are abie to 
 keep dry, even if they are out in the worst 
 snow-storm." 
 
 " What are their houses made of? " asked 
 Henrik. " I suppose lumber is scarce where 
 they live." 
 
 " Sometimes the people make a frame-work 
 of timber and cover it first with skins and then 
 with turf. Sometimes the hut is built of 
 stones, over which the turf is thickly laid. 
 But it is always in the shape of a mound." 
 
 " Are there any windows in the hut ? " 
 
 " No, Ole, and so, of course, the air inside 
 is very close and unpleasant. There isn't even 
 a chimney. A hole is left in the roof large 
 enough to let out the smoke ; that is all. 
 When the short summer comes round, the 
 Lapps prefer to live in deer-skin tents, and I 
 can't say I blame them." 
 
 " Did you ever visit them in their homes, 
 Adolf? " asked Henrik. 
 
104 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " Yes, I stayed with a family of them over 
 night. They seemed very friendly and tried 
 to make my visit pleasant, but I didn't enjoy it 
 very much, it was such a dirty, smoky place. 
 
 " In the middle of the room was a stone 
 fireplace, over which hung the kettle when our 
 supper was cooked. They all squatted on 
 deer-skins around the fire. When I had 
 been there a few minutes, I heard a noise 
 overhead. I looked up and saw a dear little 
 blue-eyed baby, swinging in a hammock and 
 cooing to me. I reached up and took it down, 
 and it snuggled in my arms as though it knew 
 I was a friend." 
 
 " What did you have for supper ? " asked 
 the farmer. 
 
 " Everything came from the reindeer, of 
 course. There was plenty of rich milk, be- 
 sides a good-sized cheese and a meat stew. I 
 have eaten worse meals since, many times." 
 
 " But how did you sleep ? " 
 
The Lapps 105 
 
 " The beds were easily made by stretching 
 deer-skins on the floor. We covered our- 
 selves with more skins, and lay snug and warm 
 till morning." 
 
 " Did you sleep more warmly than we 
 do here ? " The farmer laughed as he said 
 it. 
 
 " I must say I did," replied Adolf, with an 
 answering laugh. 
 
 " Although the Lapps' huts are far from 
 beautiful, they are made so that wind and snow 
 cannot blow in, at any rate." Adolf pointed 
 to a ridge of snow that had sifted in through 
 the wall, although they had stuffed the cracks 
 as well as they could with dried moss. 
 
 " But, dear me ! the Lapps wouldn't mind 
 it very much if it did," he went on. " The 
 men will lie down to sleep in an open field 
 on rocks or snow, if they are not near their 
 home. They are not afraid of the cold, and 
 it seldom seems to hurt them, either. 
 
106 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 " As I lay on the floor of the hut that night, 
 I could see rows of smoked meat and fish 
 hanging against the sides of the walls. They 
 have neither storehouses nor closets, so they 
 are obliged to keep their provisions in the 
 huts. 
 
 " The next morning I went out among the 
 reindeer with the chief of the settlement. I 
 believe there were more than a thousand rein- 
 deer in sight. It was milking-day and the 
 men were having a lively time of it. They 
 had to catch each animal and hold it still with 
 a lasso while the milking was done." 
 
 "Why did you speak of milking-day, 
 Adolf? Don't the Lapps milk the reindeer 
 as often as we do our cows ? " 
 
 " No, indeed. It is done only once a 
 week, because the creatures are so wild. They 
 are not gentle and tame, as you have probably 
 supposed. They can be managed very well 
 in driving, however. It is great sport to 
 
The Lapps 107 
 
 ride behind a team of reindeer, for one flies 
 over the snow like the wind. Their masters 
 sometimes drive them a hundred miles in a 
 day." 
 
 " That is good, for I [have heard that 
 the Lapps don't stay in one place all their 
 lives. They are a wandering people, aren't 
 they?" 
 
 "Yes, Ole, but one reason for that is the 
 need of finding good feeding-grounds for their 
 deer. When one place becomes bare, they 
 must seek another. Then, again, in the sum- 
 mer-time they like to go to the rivers and 
 camp beside them for the sake of the salmon 
 fishing. They are as fond as we of a good 
 dish of salmon for dinner." 
 
 " What do the reindeer feed on ? " asked 
 Henrik. 
 
 " In winter they paw away the snow and 
 find the lichen, which is a little gray plant 
 very much like the moss you see growing on 
 
108 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 the mountainside about here. In summer 
 they eat the young and tender shoots on the 
 bushes and low trees. They are very hardy 
 creatures and among the most useful." 
 
 "Just think!" cried Ole. "The reindeer 
 furnish the Lapps with everything they need, 
 — their clothing, food, and shelter ; and, as if 
 that were not enough, they make good beasts 
 of burden, and carry their masters wherever 
 they wish to go." 
 
 " I shall tell Mari all about them when I 
 get home," Ole went on. " I know one 
 question my busy little sister will ask at once. 
 She will say, c What do the women and chil- 
 dren do with themselves all the time ? ' How 
 shall I answer that question, Adolf? " 
 
 "You may tell Mari there is plenty of 
 work for them. They dress the reindeer 
 skins, and make lovely rugs and warm slip- 
 pers turned up at the toes and bound with 
 red." 
 
The Lapps 109 
 
 " Why, yes, Ole, your mother has a pair 
 of slippers made by the Lapp women," in- 
 terrupted his father. " I bought them for her 
 at Bergen, and she wears them on cold winter 
 mornings." 
 
 " That is so, I remember them ; but I 
 never thought about the Lapps when I looked 
 at them," answered Ole. " Is there any- 
 thing else the women of Lapland make, 
 Adolf? " 
 
 " Many things. They showed me knives 
 and spoons they had shaped out of the horns 
 of the reindeer. They were very pretty, and 
 a great deal of time must have been spent on 
 the carving. The men and boys do most of 
 this last work. I really think the most won- 
 derful thing I saw was the thread the women 
 make of the reindeer sinews. It is fine and 
 even, yet very strong. I wish I could have 
 seen them making it." 
 
 Adolf yawned. " I am so sleepy I think it 
 
no Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 must be bedtime. There's a hard day's work 
 before us to-morrow." 
 
 After fresh wood had been laid on the fire, 
 the party quickly settled themselves for the 
 night's rest. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 HOLIDAY FROLICS 
 
 " Father's coming, father's coming ! " cried 
 Mari as she stood looking down the snow- 
 covered valley. 
 
 She rushed into the house and put on her 
 skis, then skimmed across the fields with long 
 strides. 
 
 " Everything is ready," she told her father 
 as soon as she reached him. "And now we 
 shall have a lovely Christmas because you have 
 come." 
 
 Yes, everything was ready for the greatest 
 day of the year. Even the birds were not 
 forgotten, for a fresh sheaf of wheat had been 
 fastened on the pole where the magpie had 
 hidden the silver brooch. Ole had made a 
 new collar for the dog, Kyle ; Henrik had 
 
 in 
 
ii2 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 shot enough wild game for the Christmas 
 dinner ; Mari and Greta had helped their 
 mother in making some wonderful cakes. 
 
 There was nothing for the tired father to do 
 except to sit in the chimney-corner and frolic 
 with his children. It was a jolly time, for no 
 one was expected to be quiet now, and all were 
 allowed to do as they pleased. 
 
 Christmas comes but once a year, and the 
 children realized it fully. 
 
 They played games and told stories ; they 
 danced and sang to the music of Henrik's 
 violin. There was no spinning, or even cro- 
 cheting, for the girls, while the boys did only 
 what farm work was needed to keep the horses 
 and cattle comfortable. 
 
 On Christmas Day a party of the villagers 
 came to the farm to share in the games and 
 feasting. Even the magpie, mischievous little 
 fellow, seemed to enjoy the fun. He flew 
 from one to the others of the party and, light- 
 
Holiday Frolics 113 
 
 ing on the shoulders of the young girls 
 suddenly, would startle them and make every 
 one else laugh. 
 
 The baby, bless his heart, had the best time 
 of all. He was not left to hang in his cradle 
 for a single moment. Everybody wished to 
 hold him, and he was passed from one to an- 
 other of the company, where he enjoyed him- 
 self fingering the shining silver ornaments of 
 his friends. 
 
 He had his new toys to amuse him, also, for 
 Henrik and Ole had carved him a doll and a 
 queer-looking horse out of wood. 
 
 Everybody was jolly and happy, and there 
 was much drinking of coffee and shaking of 
 hands. It was eleven o'clock when the tired 
 but happy children climbed the steps of their 
 beds to dream of the good time just over. 
 
 After this, it did not seem a very long time 
 to Fastilevn, which is the next best holiday 
 to Christmas. At least, that is what Mari 
 
H4 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 thought, and if you lived with her you would 
 surely think so too. 
 
 Fastilevn comes in the early spring, on the 
 first Monday of Lent, and on that day the 
 Norse children are allowed to do exactly as 
 they wish. Their parents may be strict and 
 stern all the rest of the year, but at Fastilevn 
 all rules are laid aside and the little ones may 
 run wild if they like. 
 
 Cakes and buns ! If you could see Mari, 
 Greta, and their brothers eat sweet things on 
 this day, you would wonder where they could 
 possibly find room in their stomachs to stow 
 them all away. 
 
 The feasting was not the best part of the 
 fun, however. You would never guess what 
 strange thing the children were allowed to do 
 on that day. They might whip their mother ! 
 Of course, it was all in sport. The boys took 
 long birch twigs and fastened many tissue- 
 papers and coloured ribbons and tinsel upon 
 
Holiday Frolics 115 
 
 them. The night before the great day, these 
 twigs were set up in a corner of the living- 
 room, all ready for the next day's fun. 
 
 With the first light of morning those gay 
 switches began to be plied, while the chil- 
 dren followed their mother about, laughing 
 gaily all the while. 
 
 How long did the fun last, do you suppose ? 
 Until the last shred of paper was gone from 
 each switch. 
 
 And how do you suppose there ever came 
 to be such an odd custom ? The Norse 
 parents believe firmly in the old maxim, 
 " Spare the rod and spoil the child." Their 
 children are likely to be often whipped for 
 wrong-doing ; Fastilevn is supposed to make 
 up for twelve months of whippings, whether 
 they were deserved or not. 
 
 Mari has seldom needed punishment, for 
 she is a good, helpful little girl ; but she en- 
 joys Fastilevn very much, nevertheless. 
 
n6 Our Little Norwegian Cousin 
 
 The holiday came to an end, as all days 
 must, whether they are good or bad. In the 
 evening, when the bare switches had been 
 thrown away, Mari went to her mother and 
 put her arms around her neck, whispering : 
 
 " Mamma, I wouldn't really hurt you for 
 the world, even if you had to give me a thou- 
 sand whippings. And I am going to try 
 harder than ever to be your little helper." 
 
 The good woman's eyes filled with tears. 
 " God bless you, little daughter," she said 5 
 as she bent down and kissed her. 
 
 THE END. 
 
BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
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 Each 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth, illustrated, per vol. . $1.50 
 
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 MARY WARE: THE LITTLE COLONEL'S 
 
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 CHUM 
 
 These ten volumes, boxed as a ten-volume set. . $15.00 
 A— 1 
 
L. C: PAGE &> COMPANY'S 
 
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 (Trade Mark) 
 
 TWO LITTLE KNIGHTS OF KENTUCKY 
 THE GIANT SCISSORS 
 BIG BROTHER 
 
 Special Holiday Editions 
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 IN THE DESERT OF WAITING: The Legend op 
 
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 THE THREE WEAVERS: A Fairy Tale for 
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 KEEPING TRYST 
 
 THE LEGEND OF THE BLEEDING HEART 
 
 THE RESCUE OF PRINCESS WINSOME: A 
 
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 THE JESTER'S SWORD 
 
 Each one volume, tall 16mo, cloth decorative . $0.50 
 
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 There has been a constant demand for publication in 
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 New illustrated edition, uniform with the Little Colonel 
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 A story of the time of Christ, which is one of the author's 
 
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 A— 2 
 
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 THE LITTLE COLONEL GOOD TIMES BOOK 
 
 uniform in size with the Little Colonel Series. $1.50 
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 THE RIVAL CAMPERS: Or, The Adventures op 
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 PRISONERS OF FORTUNE : A Tale of the Mas- 
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 FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS. By Charles H. 
 
 L. Johnston. 
 
 Large 12mo. With 24 illustrations . . . SI .50 
 
 Biographical sketches, with interesting anecdotes and 
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 " More of such books should be written, books that 
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 Large 12mo, illustrated . ... $1.50 
 
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 BEAUTTF[JL JOE'S PARADISE: Or, The Island 
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 Brady. 
 
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 Library 12mo, cloth decorative. Illustrated by E. B. 
 
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 BORN TO THE BLUE. By Florence Kimball 
 
 RUSSEL. 
 
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 THE SANDMAN: MORE FARM STORIES 
 
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 A— 
 
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 SWEET NANCY 
 
 The Further Adventures op the Doctor's Little 
 
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 A— 7 
 
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 A— 8 
 
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 . —8 
 
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 TRANDER. 
 
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 A— 10